Sunday, May 8, 2016

His blood be on us

[Mat 27:15 NKJV] "Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished."
[Mat 27:16 NKJV] "And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas."
[Mat 27:17 NKJV] "Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?""
[Mat 27:18 NKJV] "For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy."
[Mat 27:19 NKJV] "While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.""
[Mat 27:20 NKJV] "But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus."
[Mat 27:21 NKJV] "The governor answered and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" They said, "Barabbas!""
[Mat 27:22 NKJV] "Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" [They] all said to him, "Let Him be crucified!""
[Mat 27:23 NKJV] "Then the governor said, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they cried out all the more, saying, "Let Him be crucified!""
[Mat 27:24 NKJV] "When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather [that] a tumult was rising, he took water and washed [his] hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see [to it].""[Mat 27:25 NKJV] "And all the people answered and said, "His blood [be] on us and on our children.""
[Mat 27:26 NKJV] "Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered [Him] to be crucified."

The apostle Peter preached to the people.

[Act 2:36 NKJV] ""Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.""
[Act 2:37 NKJV] "Now when they heard [this], they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men [and] brethren, what shall we do?""
[Act 2:38 NKJV] "Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
[Act 2:39 NKJV] ""For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.""
[Act 2:40 NKJV] "And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation.""
[Act 2:41 NKJV] "Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added [to them]."

Peter kept on preaching and it landed him in jail.

[Act 5:17 NKJV] "Then the high priest rose up, and all those who [were] with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation,"
[Act 5:18 NKJV] "and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison."
[Act 5:19 NKJV] "But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,"
[Act 5:20 NKJV] ""Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.""
[Act 5:21 NKJV] "And when they heard [that], they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest and those with him came and called the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought."
[Act 5:22 NKJV] "But when the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they returned and reported,"
[Act 5:23 NKJV] "saying, "Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing outside before the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside!""
[Act 5:24 NKJV] "Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be."
[Act 5:25 NKJV] "So one came and told them, saying, "Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!""
[Act 5:26 NKJV] "Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned."
[Act 5:27 NKJV] "And when they had brought them, they set [them] before the council. And the high priest asked them,"
[Act 5:28 NKJV] "saying, "Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man's blood on us!""

Wasn't that exactly what they asked for? Yes it was, but sadly for them, they wanted no part of having Jesus in their hearts, or His blood covering their sins.

And what were they afraid of? Those Pharisees were afraid of being found guilty of playing a role in killing Jesus, which is exactly what they did!

So what about you? What about me? And, what is so special about the blood of Jesus?

Now to see just what this "blood of Jesus" is about, let's take a look at the Book of Hebrews:

[Heb 2:14 NKJV] "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,"

Jesus conquered death through His blood.

[Heb 9:7 NKJV] "But into the second part the high priest [went] alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and [for] the people's sins [committed] in ignorance;"
[Heb 9:12 NKJV] "Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption."
[Heb 9:13 NKJV] "For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh,"
[Heb 9:14 NKJV] "how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

Jesus' death did forever what the blood of an animal sacrifice could only do for a moment.

[Heb 9:19 NKJV] "For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,"
[Heb 9:20 NKJV] "saying, "This [is] the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.""
[Heb 9:21 NKJV] "Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry."
[Heb 9:22 NKJV] "And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission."

Blood was required to pay for sin.

[Heb 10:4 NKJV] "For [it is] not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins."

[Heb 11:28 NKJV] "By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them."[Heb 12:24 NKJV] "to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than [that of] Abel."
[Heb 13:11 NKJV] "For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp."
[Heb 13:12 NKJV] "Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate."

Jesus allowed Himself to be a sacrifice for us, once and forever.

[Rom 3:23 NKJV] "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
[Rom 3:24 NKJV] "being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,"
[Rom 3:25 NKJV] "whom God set forth [as] a propitiation by His blood,
through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His
forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously
committed,"

We have all sinned. No surprise there, right? Sin has cut off your access to God, and like it or not, has condemned you to Hell. If you do nothing about it, you end up in Hell. But Jesus has paid the price to "buy you out", paid in blood. All you have to do is to accept it and believe it to be so.

Okay, so how do you get started?
[Rom 10:9 NKJV] "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."[Rom 10:10 NKJV] "For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."[Rom 10:11 NKJV] "For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.""